The Pirate in the Cupboard
by BreezyWeezyNinja
Summary: Grandpa presented me with six plastic figurines. He picked up one that resembled a raven-haired boy dressed in a red vest and blue shorts. A yellow-gold hat rested on his head. "This is Monkey D. Luffy. He's a long way from home..." LuffyxOC CHAPTER 2!
1. Six Plastic Figurines

Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda and The Indian in the Cupboard story and ideas belong to Lynne Reid Banks.

This is my first solo story! I hope you enjoy reading it! XD

Chapter 1: Six plastic figures

My nose almost touched the glass. With my wad of tickets in my right hand and my youngest sibling bouncing up and down beside me, I scoured the containers of prizes within the glass cabinet. The shelves overflowed with various candies and cheap little toys set out for the children. Even though I was seventeen, I was ready to humor myself with the tickets I had recently won from one of the game boxes at the pizza place.

"What are you going to get, Evie?" said younger sister, Kimmy, anxiously rubbing against me in her excitement. "You should get the tattoos!"

"Nah, I know what I'm going to get now." My eyes were set on the bin containing tiny, plastic dinosaurs. They were so cute and adorable that I absolutely had to take them home.

I exchanged the tickets for six colorful dinosaurs. Satisfied with the trade, I carried them back to my family's table where they were enjoying pizza and soft drinks.

"Look at what I got!" I displayed the dinos on the table and took a seat in front of my grandfather.

"Why dinosaurs? That's so stupid," snickered Sharon. Older sister to Kimmy but younger than me, she was the contrary middle child, the black sheep of the family. I expected as much from her but I knew Grandpa would appreciate my trade goods a little more. I was eager to hear what kind of story he would whip up for me. Grandpa was famous for his narratives and I was always ready to hear one. He may be elderly, but he had the imagination of a kid.

Grandpa looked down at the knick-knacks before him, his balding head shining. His eyes grew distant as though deep in thought. His next words were slightly puzzling.

"You like dinosaurs?" His voice was slow but there was a spark in his eye.

"Yeah… They're cool… I guess." I looked around the room not knowing what else to say.

The corner of Grandpa's mouth turned up into a crooked smile, his wrinkly face no longer symmetrical.

"What about plastic people?" He must have noticed my quizzical brow because he chuckled softly to himself before reaching into his pants pocket. "Do you still have that old cupboard I gave you on your seventeenth birthday?"

"Yes, I do," I replied flatly as I thought back to the partially disappointing memory.

Grandpa pulled a bundle of white cloth out of nowhere and presented me with six plastic figurines. He gingerly picked up one that resembled a raven-haired boy dressed in a red vest and blue shorts. A yellow-gold hat rested on top of his head and his face widened in a grin of frozen exhilaration.

"This is Monkey D. Luffy. He is a long way from home." He held the boy out to me. I looked down at the pathetic thing.

"Grandpa, I'm too old to play with little toys," I said plainly. I felt kind of stupid for saying such an ironic statement after having just acquired the toy dinosaurs moments ago. His face grew serious.

"These aren't toys." He cautiously set the figure, Luffy, down next to his equally stiff friends. "You must be careful with them and make sure nothing bad happens to them."

I snorted, then realizing I might have been too loud, I scratched my upper lip in embarrassment and reached over to grab the other five miniatures. Most of them were half the length of my hand except for one which was only the size of a gumball. The first one I took was a spearmint-color haired man, slightly bigger than the boy. He had dark pants, a white shirt, and a large green waistband with three small stick-like bars hanging at his hips. Another was slimmer and neatly dressed with a black coat and tie and a striped blue shirt underneath. His hair was blond and hung over his left eye. The third man had darker skin with even darker overalls. He had a white sash around his waist, a satchel, and a bandana covering his poofy black hair. A single projection stuck out of his face. The fourth figure I picked up was a woman with short orange hair. Her apparel was normal with shorts and a striped tank top. A blue mark was painted on her left shoulder. The last figurine was the tiniest and didn't even look human. Probably the most lovable character with its cute pink hat and antlers poking out from either side, it was short and round and wore purple-ish pants. A single blue dot was painted where a nose should be.

"I want you to have them," said Grandpa. I placed the toys back on the cloth, hoping I had misheard him. I glanced at his face and when I saw how glad he looked, I reached over and claimed the tiny persons.

"Thanks. I'll be careful with them." I politely wrapped the figures back up in the fabric and shoved them into the navy blue folds of my coat pocket. They probably meant something to him so I didn't want to upset him by not accepting the little people immediately.

"So how is my old cupboard?"

I looked up at him and guessed he must be feeling some bursts of nostalgia. I picked my next words carefully.

"It looks real nice on my desk," I smiled at him. I wasn't lying and I wasn't about to either.

Grandpa nodded at me and stared expectantly, waiting for me to continue. I decided to turn the focus on him.

"What did you put in it when you still had it, Grandpa?" This was sure to start some long-winded tale from the past.

Grandpa glanced up over my head, shifted a bit in his chair, and leaned in over the table as though about to tell a secret.

"You know how your grandmother was an artist, just like you are today?"

I nodded.

"Well, she would always draw for me. I delighted in her sketches so much, that in order to keep them safe, I would put them in the cupboard."

"How did you manage that?" I said, visualizing the inside of the cupboard with the single plank of wood, splitting the volume in half horizontally.

"I know you must be thinking of that middle shelf. Well, let me tell you that shelf wasn't always there. I would keep several sheets inside. You also have some wonderful art pieces. You should put your artwork in the cupboard."

"I don't think they will fit in there now."

Grandpa leaned back in his chair and laughed quietly to himself. I could hear my parents declaring that it was time to head home. I sipped a few more drinks from my soda and got up to throw my trash away. Sharon and Kimmy were doing the same. Our table bustled with activity as half eaten pizza was discarded, soda drinks were refilled, and jackets were put on.

"I had better be off," announced Grandpa as he patted my father's back in farewell and held the exit door open for the rest of my family.

"Bye, Grandpa. Thanks again for the toys."

"You can keep them in the cupboard too if you'd like," he gestured to my coat pocket.

"Alright." This was definitely the weirdest conversation I ever had with my grandfather.

We departed the eating place, the cool winter air replacing the warm dough and sauce smell. We walked across the parking lot and towards our SUV. Grandpa made his way towards his own vehicle. Not another word was said.

It was a long Wednesday and we were ready to retire to our beds and get ready for the work day tomorrow. I put my hands in my pockets and after feeling the bundle of plastic, quickly pulled my hand back out. Grandpa had been particularly odd about the miniature people and it felt awkward to jostle them around with my fingers, like I was doing with dinosaurs in the other pocket.

The drive home was fortunately short. I took off my coat as I walked through the door, across the great room, and down the hallway to my own room. Tossing my jacket onto my bed, I quickly changed into my sleepwear and proceeded back down the hallway to the bathroom. Halfway between brushing my teeth, I heard a quiet rustling noise from within my chamber. I spit out the last of the paste and retreated.

"What are you doing?" I knew it was one of my younger sisters. Sure enough, I walked back into my room to find Sharon kneeling over my bed where my coat lay. I knew exactly what she was doing.

"Hey, don't touch them!"

"You don't really like them, do you?" She sneered at me. "They're just dumb toys Grandpa gave you."

"I don't care if they are dumb or not! Grandpa gave them to me and he told me to be careful with them!"

Sharon twisted over to my desk where the old, wooden cupboard sat open. She placed one of the figures on the single shelf and turned so that I could see inside. Resting in the middle of the plank was the black-haired boy Grandpa showed me first. His goofy smile and wide eyes made it seem as though being inside the cupboard was the best thing in the world.

"Doesn't he look perfect in there?" Sharon flashed me a mocking grin. She was making fun of Grandpa's lame gifts.

A spark of anger coursed through me. I wasn't the type to get aggravated so easily, but after remembering Grandpa's happy face as he gave me the figures, I wanted to protect them from my sister's evil clutches.

"Get out of my room!" I hated to be angry and that helped fuel my rage even more. I grabbed the back of Sharon's sleep shirt and advanced out my bedroom door. She didn't resist but she cackled like a witch as I rounded the corner and plopped her down in her own bedroom with a loud thud.

"Ow! I landed on a shoe!" she exclaimed through laughs of ridicule.

"GOOD!" I slammed her door shut. A pang of guilt at my sudden hostility made my brow furrow.

"Good night, girls!" I heard the echo of my mom's voice bouncing around the great room and down the hall. She must have picked up on our little dispute for there was a hint of frustration in her tone.

I crossed the room to my desk where a sketchbook lay open and the plain cupboard sat next to it on the corner. I inhaled and exhaled deeply before taking a hold of the cupboard's tiny door knob and slowly closed it over so the plastic boy wouldn't topple. His everlasting smile was his farewell as he disappeared behind the scratched oak. I took hold of the key left sticking out of its respective hole and turned it twice. It shifted and then clicked, ensuring the safety of the cupboard's content.

I left the figurine and the cupboard in its lonely solitude on my desk and hopped into bed, pulling the comforter over top. Turning to the opposite side of the room, I stared out through the partially opened blinds of my window onto the road outside. The streetlight flickered a couple times and the whooshing sound of a car rushed by. My gaze grew heavy with exhaustion and I was just about to drift into unconsciousness when my eyes snapped open. The noise simultaneously ceased. I thought I heard slight tapping from within the cupboard, but I didn't care. Sleep was gripping me so I submitted. I would worry about it tomorrow….


	2. The Pirate in the Cupboard

Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda and The Indian in the Cupboard story and ideas belong to Lynne Reid Banks.

I cannot apologize enough for breaking my promise! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive me. Please enjoy chapter 2!

Chapter 2: The Pirate in the Cupboard

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

An alarm was going of somewhere. I opened my eyes and groaned a welcome to the new day. Reaching up, over to the headboard, I switched the alarm off and struggled to keep myself from falling back to sleep.

School mornings were always a mad rush. My mind was set and the robotic routine began. I quickly tossed on a blue shirt, jeans, and my jacket, noticing the cloth-wrapped toys weren't in my pocket anymore. I threw down a hasty bowl of cereal and juice and mechanically walked to the bathroom. I ran a brush through my brown-blonde hair and made sure my bangs weren't sticking up in different directions. At this point, my memories started to return and I remembered the nearly silent tapping noise I heard last night.

I was grabbing my backpack, ready to depart when my thoughts clicked and I turned to face the lonely cupboard.

I didn't know what to think. I hardly knew what to expect as I grabbed the key and twisted. It shifted twice… and the door popped open.

The boy sat on the edge of the shelf, his tiny legs dangling and his smile wide. I would have mistaken the boy as just another plastic figurine in my disbelief, but this boy was very much alive. He let out a small but loud laugh-and then he spoke.

"I thought I was never going to get out of here!"

My voice caught in my throat. What was I supposed to say? The boy continued to speak.

"Wow! You're really big! Are you related to Dorry?"

"Wha… No! I'm not big! You're small! Who's Dorry?"

"He's a giant I met on an island once. He was a great and honorable warrior!" His arms flew out, emphasizing an intangible amount of glory.

"I think you're even bigger than him!"

His little head tilted up so far to look at me that his yellow hat fell off to expose his messy black hair. I shot over to my door and shut it before kneeling in front of the cupboard and stared closely at the tiny person. I would only have about a minute or two before it was time to leave for school.

Upon closer examination, I saw his red vest was fastened together with three yellow buttons. His pants were made of some kind of denim and his hat was made of straw. As it lay on the floor of the middle shelf, I noticed a red strip of fabric around the bowl of the hat. There was a tiny line underneath the boy's left eye that looked like a scar. The boy was skinny but I could detect traces of muscle on his arms and legs.

"Are you Monkey Duffer?"

"Monkey D. Luffy," he corrected as he bent over, picked up his straw hat, and placed it back on top of his head. "But just call me Luffy."

I pursed my lips at my very rude mistake.

"My name is Evelyn. Evie for short."

The boy, Luffy, smiled and bounced up from his perch in a single springy movement.

"So Evie, do you have any food?"

This was a little unexpected. Luffy was a plastic child's toy only moments before and now he was hungry. I came to the shocking realization that this was a living, breathing person who walked and talked and needed food, just like me.

"What would you like?" I asked politely as I would any other guest.

"MEAT! Lots of it!" I could almost see his mouth water from the thought of it. I laughed a quick giggle and got up to head to the kitchen. My little discovery made me forget all about school. As I reached for the doorknob, I froze. It was turning on its own.

"Evelyn, are you ready to go?" It was my mother on the other side.

I made a quick about-face and pushed the cupboard door shut with Luffy still inside. She had already entered the room milliseconds before I had completely locked the door, pulled the iron key from the cupboard, and shoved it into my coat pocket. '_Please don't let her see_,' was the only thing passing through my frantic mind.

"Whatcha' doing?" Mom asked playfully.

"Nothin'," I answered, equally playful. I was trying to act natural with my back to the cupboard containing the hungry, tiny boy. What have I done?

"Well, come on. Grab your stuff and let's head out." She turned and exited the room, hollering the same stuff to Sharon. I followed her without a second look back. What else could I have done I do? I couldn't leave him out in the hazardous open to do as he pleased nor could I take him to school. That would be disastrous. Luffy would have to wait until I returned.

Sharon, Mom, and I got into the car and silently drove through the night to the high school. My hands tapped nervously upon my knees. Thankfully, I only had a half schedule. After my bike was unlatched and taken to the bike racks across the way from the cafeteria, I met up with my very good friend, Kiera, in the 100 hall. Our greetings were light as we made our way to the 900 building where the band room was located. This was my first period class where I took jazz band.

"So how was last night?" inquired Kiera as we took a seat in the back of the enormous chamber, away from the more obnoxious band members.

"It was a lot of fun. I won a ton of tickets and got some pretty cool dinosaurs." I thought back to Tuesday night. The dinosaurs weren't the only things I got, but I wasn't about to tell her just yet.

"You'll have to show me sometime," she smiled. At first, I thought she wanted to see the toy people and almost hastily denied her request. Fortunately, I caught myself and simply smiled back and nodded.

"Of course."

The bell rang and Kiera departed to her first period class.

The hour came and went, my lips slightly chapped from the constant buzzing on the trumpet mouthpiece. My last two classes were insufferable. Throughout Language Arts, my legs beat an irregular pattern into the floor and during Economics, I gripped the sides of my head in frustration, staring blankly at the edge of my desk. Several students nearby glanced awkwardly at me, thinking I was experiencing some unbearable migraine but in reality, I was deep in thought about Luffy.

What kind of torture was he going through? All alone in that pitch-black space without one of his little friends to keep him company. I wasn't even able to give him food before unmannerly shutting the cupboard door in his face. He must be starving. In his small, fragile state, he could already be dead!

It was an agonizing, noiseless meditation. After what seemed like an eternity, the bell finally rang and signaled my freedom. I unlocked my bike and furiously pedaled home, the freezing winter air stung my nose and blew my thick, blonde hair into a dorky display. The tassels on my cloche flapped wildly behind me in my mad ride homeward. I arrived at my house and walked up the entryway, before struggling to open the front door with frozen fingers.

At long last, the door flew open and I was in my room in a flash of blue. My backpack flopped onto the carpet and my jacket came off as I held the cupboard key in my sweaty hand and hesitated. What would I see? There was a brief moment of anxiety. But then curiosity got the better of me. The key clicked twice and I peered inside… but nothing happened.

There was no movement in the silence. My face fell at the sight before me. Standing in the middle of the shelf was the tiny boy, Luffy. He was a plastic toy again.

I slowly picked up the figurine and fell back onto my bed, appalled. The boy lay in my hand- cold, still, dead- and it was all my fault. Disappointment and sadness welled up in the back of my throat as I examined the figure. All the miniscule details I had noticed before were no longer visible. Plastic couldn't show the folds of clothes, the strands of hair, even the teeny tiny scar under the left eye. I stroked the boy with my finger, hoping the touch would somehow bring him back to life.

After about a minute, I put Luffy back into the cupboard and locked the door. I couldn't bear to look at him anymore. Maybe it didn't really happen? I was still pretty drowsy in the morning when it occurred, so I probably made the whole thing up. I wanted to believe that, in order to relieve the overwhelming sorrow, but it seemed too real. I could not accept that this was it.

I stood up from the bed and was about to leave the room when I heard it. The tapping noise from last night. The sound was unmistakable this time.

My heart skipped a beat as I tremblingly turned the iron key, and who else but the tiny boy jumped out of the cupboard, straight at me.

The attack caught me by surprise. I tumbled backwards and childishly landed on my behind, a slight tugging on my bangs.

"FOOD!" exclaimed the same small, loud voice from before.

I had an almost uncontrollable urge to spring up and leap for joy but managed to restrain myself so as to keep from shaking Luffy around too much.

"I thought you were gone!"

"I haven't gone anywhere. Now where's my meat?" Luffy clung to a lock of my bangs and swung left to right in front of my face like a pendulum.

"Alright, I'll take you to the kitchen," I said as I cupped my hands beneath my face. Luffy didn't hesitate to fall into my palms.

I walked down the hallway, careful not to jostle Luffy, and arrived in the kitchen. I gently lowered my hands and laid him down on the countertop. Then I went to the refrigerator and opened the bottom drawer where a tub of lunch meat sat.

"I hope you like turkey." I set the tub next to Luffy and popped of the lid. A small waft of smoked turkey rose up.

"Wow! It smells so good!" He leaned over the tub to get a better look. I reached into the packaging bag and produced a single slice of meat. Before I knew it, the whole piece was unceremoniously shoved into Luffy's mouth. His cheeks bulged out like a chipmunk that had just stuffed its face with nuts. Then it was gone- down into the depths of his belly.

"This is great stuff!" hinting that he wanted more.

"Please help yourself." I turned back to the refrigerator to grab some microwavable burgers for my lunch. I had no sooner begun the heating process when I heard the thwack of a silicon container. There was nothing left except for the inedible plastic wrapping. Luffy lay on his back and groaned in content, his stomach extending out from under his red vest.

"I can't believe you ate the whole thing!"

"This meat is different from what I normally eat."

"What do you normally eat?"

"Meat on the bone. That stuff's pretty good but I've never had anything like this lunch meat."

I crossed my arms on the counter and rested my head on top, ready to change the subject.

"Luffy, who are you?"

"I'm a pirate! And someday, I'm going to be king of the pirates!" His fists punched the air. It was the happiest I had seen him yet.

"A pirate? That's so cool!" This conversation was getting exciting. "How did you become one?"

"Well, it all started with my good friend, Red-haired Shanks. He's an awesome pirate! I want to be just like him!" He took his hat off his head, his eyes shining with admiration.

"He gave me this hat. He told me to keep it safe until I become a great pirate."

I smiled, imagining the tiny boy trying to accomplish this huge dream.

"So, if you're a pirate, then where are your shipmates? Where is your captain?"

Luffy stood up as tall as his diminutive form would allow him.

"I _am _the captain. Captain Luffy of the straw hat pirates!"

"You're the captain! How old are you!"

"I'm seventeen." I coughed. The air had the faintest trace of cooked cheeseburgers, but I didn't care. I hadn't even noticed the microwave timer buzz.

"You're only seventeen! But I'm seventeen!"

"Cool! You're the same age as me! I thought you were older."

"Well, I thought you were way younger!"

Luffy threw his head back and bellowed a hearty laugh. The laugh of a pirate.

"Where's your crew, _Captain_ Luffy?"

Luffy looked around the kitchen, somehow expecting find his friends.

"I'm not sure. I hope they ended up here with me."

I took a quick intake of breath. The other five figurines were still in my room- and they were still plastic.

"Those guys are your crewmates!" I had completely forgotten about the others. I wasn't even sure if I remembered where I put them last. I held my hand out to Luffy.

"Come on," I instructed as Luffy hopped onto my hand. His feet were minute pressure points on my palm.

Heading back into my room, I gently tilted my hand over the top of the cupboard for Luffy. Where were the little people? I looked around the course of my bedroom, my mind racing, trying to remember what happened last night. What if I had already lost them? Grandpa told me to keep them safe and now I had failed him. Clothes and papers flew up into the air as I went from calm to nervous.

I paused and took a deep breath. Last night, they were in my coat pocket, but they weren't there this morning… They must have fallen out when I tossed the jacket onto my bed. I practically leapt over the mattress and groped around the left side. My hand felt a bundle of cloth. _'Thank goodness!'_

I returned to the front of the cupboard and unfolded the miniatures.

"Hey! So you guys are here too!" Luffy stomped his feet excitedly. "Oi, Nami! Where do you think we are?"

I looked from Luffy to the figurines and back before hesitantly saying, "They're… not real… Luffy."

"What's wrong with them?" His grin instantly fell.

I grabbed the first figure that touched my fingers and positioned it on top of the cupboard next to Luffy. It was the green-haired man with the white shirt and black pants.

"Zoro!" Luffy ran up to the figure and inspected it. He walked around it and knocked its forehead like he would a door.

"Is he dead?"

"I don't know." That was the honest truth. He didn't appear dead but he certainly wasn't alive either.

I ran my hand along the cupboard's door.

"This is a magic cupboard," I said in a more self discovery than informing kind of way.

Without saying another word, I put the Zoro figure along with the rest of the people onto the middle shelf of the cupboard. My heart pounded as I closed over the wooden door. Luffy looked up at me, his face unreadable.

I took hold of the key, still jutting out of the keyhole above the doorknob.

I was about to bring more people to life.

The key shifted and clicked twice to the right, then twice more to the left… and the door opened…


End file.
